Her Favorite Story
by DramaPrincess87
Summary: Every night Elizabeth tells little Ashley Lynne her favorite bedtime story... and later indulges in one of her own. Companion piece to Huma the Guma's, Like A Little Girl Cries.


**Her Favorite Story**

By DramaPrincess87

Disclaimer: The characters in this story do not belong to me. Everyone except Ashley belongs to ABC, and Ashley belongs to the fantabulous Huma the Guma. This belongs to her "Like A Little Girl Cries" universe. :)

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Elizabeth sat curled up in her favorite chair by the fireplace. The flickering flames cast a slightly whimsical feel around the darkened room. Francis had put Ashley to bed around an hour ago and she was just now getting engrossed in her book. Hearing footsteps, Elizabeth looked up.

Ashley's sleepy blue eyes looked up at her as her wispy brown locks bounced in pig tails. Her ice blue pajamas were ruffled and she clutched her stuffed puppy Jasper to her chest. "Mama… I can't sleep."

Elizabeth smiled and put her book down. Opening her arms, she scooped her four-year-old daughter up and placed her on her lap. "What happened to Uncle Francis? I thought he was going to get you into bed."

Ashley snuggled closer to her mother and giggled. "He fell asleep while reading my story."

Elizabeth quirked one eyebrow up. "Hmm. I think I need to have a talk with him about sleeping on the job." She tickled Ashley's stomach and grinned when the toddler squealed. "So, what would you like me to do Miss Lynnie?"

Ashley pulled on one of Jasper's slightly battered ears as she hummed to herself. "Um… tell me the story 'bout the princess and the prince Mama! It's my favorite."

Elizabeth felt her smile grow bittersweet as she gently pulled the hair ties from her daughter's hair and smoothed it down. "You sure? I think you've heard it at least a bazillion times now."

Ashley giggled again. "Mama you're silly! That's not a number."

Elizabeth leaned over and poked her daughter softly in the forehead. "You're right Ashley, that's not a number. And if you want me to tell you the story, I will. But you need to settle down first."

Determined to hear her favorite story, Ashley curled into her mother's embrace and hugged Jasper close to her side. "I promise Mama. I'll be quiet."

Elizabeth absentmindedly ran her fingers through her daughter's hair as she cleared her throat. "Once upon a time, long ago, there lived a princess. The princess was very naughty and would disobey her grandmother a lot."

Ashley giggled softly, but quieted when her mother stopped. "Then one day, a very bad thing happened to the princess and she was hurt. A kind man found the princess and helped her to get better. As she healed, the princess fell in love with the kind man. They were inseparable. They even planned to get married."

"However, that was not the case. One sad day, the kind man left the kingdom due to an evil witch's spell. The princess was so sad." Elizabeth's voice softened as she remembered her devastation after the fire that she thought had taken Lucky. "In her despair, the princess went to a bad part of the kingdom and was attacked. Luckily for her sake, a handsome and brave prince came to her rescue. However, the princess did not want to be rescued. She thought she could handle herself. But the prince knew better."

"The prince sat with the princess asked her why she was so sad. As they talked for hours, the princess realized that the prince could be a friend for her. And so he was. The prince gave the princess the greatest gift she had ever known. He had shown her the wind. The next few times she saw him, the prince would help the princess heal from her sadness. Soon, the princess realized that she was no longer in despair, all thanks to the handsome prince."

"Before she could tell him however, the prince was hurt due to an evil dragon. The princess found him in the forest, covered with freshly fallen snow. She was so upset… she realized now that she cared deeply for the prince. Using what strength she possessed, the princess brought the prince to safety and nursed him back to health."

"It was during this time that the princess and the prince fell in love. Neither could tell the other however, due to the fear of ruining their friendship. Over the course of the next year or so, the princess and the prince finally realized that they both loved each other. Alas, the prince and the princess were star-crossed lovers. They were not meant to be. The prince was with another lady, and did not want to be with the princess any more. Realizing that she couldn't stay in the kingdom any longer, the princess fled to a magical place where the sun shone brightly, flowers bloomed, and there was red glass everywhere for the princess to see."

"However, even though the prince was not with her, the princess was glad. Because the prince had given the princess another precious gift before she had left the kingdom. She had given him a beautiful daughter, a perfect mix of the princess and the prince. And the princess knew that as long as she had her daughter, that she would be happy. And they would live happily ever after."

Elizabeth looked down and smiled at the sight of her sleeping daughter. Her head was pressed close to Elizabeth's chest, Jasper the puppy clutched in her small hands. Elizabeth gently picked her daughter up and carried her to her bedroom. Inside, she found Francis sound asleep in the walnut rocking chair that was next to the bed. Stooping down, she placed Ashley onto the bed and covered her. Reaching over, she grabbed a soft knit afghan and placed it on top of Francis's sleeping form.

Looking down on two of her favorite people, Elizabeth smiled and walked out of the room. She closed the door behind her and went back to her chair. As she sat down, she picked up her book and held it close to her heart. It was ragged and the cover was starting to separate from the rest of the book but Elizabeth loved it none the less. It was her favorite book. Sighing softly, she hoped that one day she would truly be able to tell her daughter the story of how she came to be. Without the masquerade of princes, princesses, and kingdoms. Shaking her head, she opened the book and began to read.

"St. Mark's Square, often known by its Italian name of Piazza San Marco, is the town square of Venice, Italy. The Square has always been seen as the centre of Venice. It was the location of all the important offices of the Venetian state, and has been the seat of the bishopric since the nineteenth century. It was also the focus for many of Venice's festivals…"


End file.
